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Archaeological reconnaissance and test excavation conducted in south-central Ethiopia reveal the region's rich Stone Age and Holocene archaeology. Ongoing lithic, faunal and dating analyses aim to understand chronological and behavioural contexts of prioritised rockshelters as part of a newly launched project. Speleothems in some of the caves promise high-resolution palaeoclimatic reconstruction.

In the tropics, limestone caves in karstic areas are known for their unique biodiversity. However, many caves remain unstudied and little is known about underlying gradients that determine diversity and biomass in aquatic microhabitats. Here, we sampled zooplankton and benthos in a set of 12 aquatic caves, locally called closed cenotes in Yucatán, Mexico. Our aim was to explain diversity patterns and differences in biomass with particular attention for correlations between bat colony characteristics and other biota. Compared with caves that support photosynthesis, diversity was low with an average of four planktonic and two benthic species in these dark caves. Undetectable phosphorus concentrations in the water suggest this nutrient is limiting. Several associations hint at a potential link between bat abundance and functional guild composition, water quality and aquatic biota. As such, more bats were linked to higher nitrate concentrations. Yet this was not translated to higher invertebrate biomass, probably since phosphorus is limiting. Overall, the trends found in this survey suggest that bats could be important as fertilizers of the caves although mechanistic links that mediate the flux of nutrients need to be confirmed experimentally.

Species with specific roosting, foraging or breeding requirements are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation. For bats, the availability and environmental condition of caves can be a limiting factor. The cave specialist Natalus macrourus (formerly Natalus espiritosantensis) is categorized as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List but as Vulnerable in Brazil, based on a projected population reduction and a decline in its area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat. There is a lack of knowledge about the species’ distribution, natural history and ecology, information that is required for conservation. Using new occurrence data and potential distribution modelling we evaluated the distribution of N. macrourus in Brazil, analysed pressures on and threats to the species, and assessed the species’ conservation needs. Natalus macrourus is positively associated with areas with higher probability of cave occurrence and negatively associated with areas of high variation in mean daily temperature and mean annual rainfall. Areas with high environmental suitability for N. macrourus correspond to only 3% of the potential distribution modelled. We estimate that the species has already lost 54% of its natural habitat and that there is < 35% of habitat remaining in areas with high environmental suitability. We calculated that approximately half of the caves in areas with high environmental suitability are < 5 km from mining operations and only 4% of the species’ potential distribution lies within protected areas. Given the strong association of N. macrourus with caves, it is important to protect these habitats, and we recommend that caves where the species is present should receive immediate protection.

This article addresses the potential of oral tradition (folklore) in the archaeological study of the past. It deals with oral traditions concerning landscape features in the area of the prehistoric and Roman site of Ajdovščina above Rodik, Slovenia. The palimpsest nature of modern landscapes can be regarded as a syncretic sum of past ways of life, land use, religious practices, and cults. In oral tradition concerning the ancient inhabitants of Ajdovščina, it is possible to discern the obscured memory of historical process. Certain sites, referred to in local oral tradition, mainly in the form of memories of religious practices performed there and of superstitions related to them, may well prove to be the remains of ancient sacred places. Methodological problems include identification of the generic and specific in oral tradition, the recognition of Christian intervention and/or censorship of ancient cults and beliefs, and the transposition and/or survival of elements of old ritual practices in popular beliefs. The aim of this article is to discuss the role of oral tradition linked to the landscape in the persistence of collective memory concerning historical circumstances and the survival and/or transformation of ancient cult or ritual sites and beliefs.

This fifth date list for the long cultural sequence in El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) reports on new radiocarbon assays for the Middle Paleolithic and Lower Magdalenian levels, ranging from about >45 to 15 uncalibrated kyr.

Bat guano deposits are common in the Mammoth Cave system (Kentucky, USA). Paleontological remains associated with these deposits are important records of local landscape changes. Recent excavations in the cave suggest that vertebrate remains in most of these deposits are dominated by Chiroptera. Although no extinct fauna were identified, the presence of a large roost of Tadarida brasiliensis in the Chief City section is beyond the northern extent of its current range suggesting that this deposit dates to an undetermined interglacial period. Stable isotope analyses of Tadarida-associated guano indicate a C3 prey signature characteristic of forested habitat. This was unexpected since this species is typically associated with open environments. Further ecomorphological analysis of wing shape trends in interglacial, Holocene, and historic-aged assemblages indicate that interglacial faunas are dominated by fast-flying, open-space taxa (T. brasiliensis) while late Holocene and Historic assemblages contain more taxa that utilized closed forest or forest gaps.

The dependence of forest communities on bushmeat as a source of protein and income is a challenge to wildlife conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the use of caves and overhanging rocks as hunting camps and the consequences for breeding grey-necked picathartes Picathartes oreas in the forests of Cross River in south-east Nigeria. We recorded 84 nesting colonies during guided and random searches. We found 14 (16.7%) breeding sites that had been used as hunting camps, with evidence including fire stands, sleeping spots, cooking utensils and drying racks. Fire stands were the most frequently recorded evidence of camping and were found in 11 of the camps. At the 14 breeding sites only two nesting attempts were made by P. oreas during the survey. Thirty-seven nests (c. 95%) recorded in hunting camps were empty and showed no evidence of ongoing or potential breeding activities, suggesting that the nests may have been abandoned. We attributed the low nesting attempt rate to disturbance caused by hunters, who also affected breeding success through direct removal of eggs and fledglings from nests. We encourage conservation education for the protection of P. oreas and other threatened species in the region and recommend strict enforcement of wildlife laws and disciplinary sanctions. Given the role of the forests of Cross River as a critical habitat for several endemic and threatened species, management efforts targeted at improving the integrity of the forest will benefit grey-necked picathartes and other avian species of conservation concern.

Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a species of conservation concern that require Marine Protected Area management and population status assessment under the EU Habitats Directive. Aerial surveys are commonly used to monitor grey seal pup production at their globally important UK colonies. However, in Wales more than half of pups are born in cryptic breeding habitats such as sea caves. These cryptic habitats preclude the use of aerial monitoring methods and necessitate ground-based counts, which are costly in resources. In this study, we compare a ground-based pup production census with a reduced effort plot-sampling survey to estimate pup production, derive a total population size and assess cost effectiveness. Pup production in North Wales was estimated at 91 (95% confidence interval: 70–112) by the plot-sampling design and was a good approximation of the ‘true’ value of 96 derived from the census. The total population size in North Wales was estimated at between 242 and 307 grey seals. The plot-sampling design reduced survey effort by 46% and saved 30% on logistical costs compared to the full census. We outline the suitability of this method as part of a monitoring programme for grey seal pup production and suggest our approach may be applicable to other regions where grey seals use cryptic breeding habitat.

Quaternary herpetofaunas from eight palaeontological localities in western Canada (British Columbia: Bear Flat; Alberta: Eagle Cave, January Cave, Rat's Nest Cave, Hand/Wintering Hills, Fletcher Site, Stampede Site and Little Fish Lake) are described in detail for the first time. Identifications of taxa from these localities include frogs (Rana sp., Bufo sp., and Anura indet.), salamanders (cf. Ambystoma sp.), and snakes (cf. Thamnophis sp. and cf. Pituophis sp.). Preglacial and postglacial herpetofaunas are distinctly separated by a boundary resulting from the advance and retreat of glacial ice across northern North America. The taxonomic records presented here represent a conservative, morphology-based approach to identification that resulted in less taxonomic resolution than is commonly found in literature on Quaternary herpetofaunas. Nonetheless, the resultant data set was useful for establishing a framework that is indicative of biogeographic stability in Quaternary reptiles and amphibians of western Canada. We hypothesise that the observed stability may be related to evolutionary adaptations (e.g. cold-tolerance) in specific lineages.

Caves in Ireland, as elsewhere, have been used for shelter and burial over much of recorded time. The author here focuses on their use during the Neolithic, carefully isolating the available material and arguing from it that caves then had a primary role in the remembrance of the dead, and were used for excarnation, token deposition or inhumation. The author compares these practices to other contemporary types of burial and concludes that there was a strong symbolic or ritual sense shared in Neolithic Ireland between passage tombs and those certain kinds of cave that they resembled.

In February 2005 clear evidence was found of extensive hunting by local people of microchiropteran bats in south-western Madagascar. Hipposideros commersoni (Family Hipposideridae) accumulates heavy fat deposits during this period, weighing on average about 50 g, and is the targeted species. The capture of other smaller species of microchiropterans appears to be incidental. The exploitation of bats for bushmeat in this region takes place during a period of food shortage, and because the level of collection surpasses the breeding potential of these animals it may over time result in extirpation of local populations.

In order to describe the resting and pupping habitat of the Critically Endangered Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus and facilitate the identification of preferences by the species for suitable habitat for resting and pupping, 94 sea caves in the archipelago of Madeira were located, charted, and categorized using six characteristics. A cluster analysis indicated that there are eight different types of cave, in three groups. Observations of cave usage indicate that monk seals in the archipelago do not appear to exhibit a preference for certain cave types for resting. When taking care of young, however, the species appears to prefer sea caves that have beaches above sea level during high tide and long entrance corridors. Based on these preferences we believe that although there is a large number of caves in the area that are suitable for resting, only 16 (17%) of the caves are suitable for pupping. The survival of the Critically Endangered Mediterranean monk seal will depend on the allocation of sufficient suitable habitat for reproduction.

There are 1,001 species of bats, almost a quarter of which are globally threatened. The Chiroptera Specialist Group of IUCN's Species Survival Commission has produced two Action Plans examining conservation issues for all species and detailing recommendations for action to conserve the most threatened species and habitats. These Plans are aimed principally at key decision makers as well as organisations and individuals who are promoting bat conservation issues. The underlying threat to bats is pressure on resources from increasing human populations that leads to the loss or modification of foraging habitats and roosts. Bats frequently have a negative public image that influences the response to the problems of rabies and vampire bats in Latin America and conflicts between bats and commercial fruit growers in other areas of the world. In some areas bats are persecuted because people are ignorant of the life history of bats and their role in ecosystems, while in other areas bats are overexploited for food. There is also a general lack of information about the distribution, status, biology and ecology of many species. This review examines some of the more general issues relating to bat conservation. It provides information on bat faunas of all countries worldwide, and on the most threatened species. It highlights the priority areas where action is needed immediately at a global, regional or national level. It highlights in particular the global importance of islands and caves for bats.

Larvae of Lepidoptera are mainly herbivores, and only the larval stages of Bradypodicola and Cryptoses pyralid moths are known to be specialized coprophages. Here, we report coprophagy as a main feeding habit for the larvae of another pyralid moth, Aglossa pinguinalis, on the basis of observational and experimental evidence. The larvae of this moth require two years to complete development, and construct silk tubes connecting the food source with a shelter chamber. Larvae of A. pinguinalis were mostly found inside caves, where they were about 700 times more abundant than in the open field. Inside the caves, observational results indicate that 98% of the larvae fed mostly on excrement and only 2% were recorded as eating other kinds of detritus (decayed mushrooms). No larvae were recorded eating plant detritus in the censuses nor in experimental detritus patches. The larvae did not show preferences for different types of excrement in the caves. Experimental dog and sheep excrement corroborated this result, showing that the abundance of larvae did not differ between these two excrement types over the entire study. We suggest that habitat selection of A. pinguinalis is ecologically similar to the trophic specialization of Bradypodicola and Cryptoses, in spite of the differences in natural history traits among these moths. Feeding on dry excrement inside caves, or in buried sloth dung, may reflect the constraints for Lepidoptera successfully to colonize excrement: in more exposed excrement, they cannot compete with other coprophagous specialists owing to the lack of parental care (e.g. resource relocation) and slow growth rates. We hypothesize that coprophagous Lepidoptera will be restricted to competition- and predation-free habitats and resources, feeding on excrement inside caves and animal burrows.

Gypsum evaporites are forming under desiccating conditions in relict cave passages in Mynydd Llangattwg, south Wales. Sulphur isotope compositions of these sulphates indicate that oxidation of diagenetic pyrite in the overlying Millstone Grit is the source of sulphate solutions, rather than dissolution of evaporitic sulphate in the limestones.

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